Can It Be Done? The Optimal Gaming | Design Powerhouse On A Budget.

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cwlf

cwlf

Honorable
Nov 10, 2013
11
0
10,510
Thank you for taking the time to read my first post.

I need something that can handle the latest games at high - ultra quality with virtually no or very minimal lag, and can manage some serious multitasking at times + several large file sizes saved on the hard drive mainly from programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, without killing its overall performance.

The budget is $1600 USD.



Additional information:

I need to buy a monitor: Preferably a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The bigger the better so long as it fits within the budget.

I'm ready to purchase the parts as soon as the components for the build are set.

I need to buy an OS. I haven't used Windows 8 yet, but from what I've heard and seen about Windows 8, I prefer 7.

For the case, I prefer minimalistic design. So long as it's able to fit everything that needs to go inside of it comfortably, it's fine.

I already have a mouse and keyboard.

I don't intend to overclock.



Here's a look at what I'm working on so far:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20IaK
 
Solution
Tradesman1
Might start with the Asus Maximus VI Hero, 4770K, Hyper 212 EVO cooler, Asus GTX 770, HAF 912, Samsung 128GB EVO, WD 1TB 7200 Blue, 32GB GSkill Tridents 2400/10
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cwlf

cwlf

Honorable
Nov 10, 2013
11
0
10,510
Thank you, Tradesman1. Here's my first attempt at putting something together with the needs that I mentioned above:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20ymp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20ymp/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20ymp/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($312.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($232.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 650D ATX Mid Tower Case ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.78 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1479.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-11 00:37 EST-0500)

How does this look?
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
40
126,960
CAn swap the 3770K and 1155 mobo witht he 4770K and Hero at break even, pricewise, for graphics design work, would go a minimum of 16GB (and 32GB preferable, that's what most of my clients want on builds for similar work, really speeds up productivity), also if it can be fit it, a larger monitor (maybe 27") , might be a tight squeeze on the budget and will want a 3rd party cooler once you start OCing, like the Hyper 212 EVO ($30-35)
 
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cwlf

cwlf

Honorable
Nov 10, 2013
11
0
10,510


What makes the Hero motherboard a better choice?
A 27" monitor throws me uncomfortably over my budget, so I think I'll have to stick with a slightly smaller one for now. I'm going to have to go with 16 GB of memory for now and I can upgrade later.

Here's a complete update:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20Ard
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20Ard/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20Ard/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.78 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1613.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-11 02:36 EST-0500)

Any changes?
 
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S

sheag123

Honorable
Dec 1, 2012
619
0
11,360
for what you want, might be worth saving a little extra, this is more money but the money is in the right places. price/performance. also 2560x1440 monitors are not cheap unless you get one from korea on ebay. anyway this one has an ips monitor.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20ARy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20ARy/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20ARy/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($97.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($480.49 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($549.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $2055.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-11 03:03 EST-0500)
 
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cwlf

cwlf

Honorable
Nov 10, 2013
11
0
10,510
Sheag, thank you for the suggestions. I don't really need a 2560x1440 at this time.

How's this?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20C6Z
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20C6Z/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20C6Z/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($127.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1621.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-11 05:04 EST-0500)
 
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cwlf

cwlf

Honorable
Nov 10, 2013
11
0
10,510
I think I can still use some advice, or is my current set up ready for purchase?

One major question that I still need to be answered is: since I'm not planning to overclock, do I need the CPU Cooling at all?
Are there other components that I don't really need to have in this build that would cut down on the price but keep it running as optimal as possible?

[Edit:]
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20IaK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20IaK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/20IaK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($292.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($160.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1597.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-11 11:52 EST-0500)
 
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